Repost: Noir City Seattle 2011

I'm so behind on my Daily Doses, I thought I'd repost some observations from Noir City a while ago:
http://venetianblond.blogspot.com/2011/02/noir-city-seattle-saturday-nights.html The two films were "They Won't Believe Me" and "Don't Bother to Knock."  The latter should be more widely available-it's amazing.

It's a drag we didn't have Noir City this past year because there was some venue kerfluffle with SIFF, and they couldn't get the Cinerama up to speed in time.  But next February at the Cinerama should be amazing!  (One of the times I went there, Adam Arkin was two seats down from us and none of my friends knew who he was.  I let them have it!)

#NoirSummer : Daily Dose of Darkness 3

What an opener!  The camera slides along the scene--men asleep in hammocks or lazing around, when blam! In a single shot the view moves to the "big house" where a single gun shot rings out and out the front door stumbles a man. Everyone is startled, including the animals. Out follows Bette Davis, and she keeps shooting, over and over again, until she has emptied the gun into the poor sod.  Not only does she shoot him, boy does she ever make sure the job is done!

Then the full moon is briefly obscured by clouds, and when it reappears, it bathes Bette Davis in light, not unlike a police spotlight mounted on prison walls.  She's caught, and she's culpable.

But the scene goes on for her to send her man to say "there's been an accident."  (It reminded me of that old joke, "Your honor, he fell on his knife!"  "Twenty-seven times?!") She's cool and collected, thinking 4 chess moves ahead.  No histrionics or swooning here, there's one person in charge and it's easy to see who that is.

This scene gives the same feeling of tension and "what's going on" that the opening scene of M does-there's the facade of normality but something has gone horribly awry.  We can only hope as curious viewers that the story will flashback to fill us in on what brought the characters to this point.  Playing fast and loose with the timeline is a classic component of noir, and this opener gives us the hint of that.

#NoirSummer : Daily Dose of Darkness 2

A film takes us on a journey, often from point A to B to C, but not always. This opening scene drops us into the action in progress-no orienting of location or to character.  The engineers are mostly wordless, performing their difficult, dirty work by habit and by gesture. No immaculate sound set and perfectly coiffed hair here-this is where the word "gritty" gets applied to noir.  The men are sooty, the fire smokes. Just as the train's progress seems inexorable, so too does the sound design. The racket is deafening-the men couldn't have a conversation if they wanted to. And the shriek of the train whistle!

This film does not whisk us away to some fantasy where every barista is adorable with a giant NYC apartment, but rather sets us firmly in the real world of hard work. (See also Italian neorealism *name drop*)

The camera attached to the side of the train gives the viewer the feeling of clinging on like a bug.  We get no comfy seat inside, but rather we ride in the "danger zone" where we can sense the speed of the train and the danger of being plunged into darkness.  I was sorry to be watching the clip on my computer rather than in a dark theater for the shot in the tunnel!

And then, finally, after having our nerves rattled by the sound, the speed, and the darkness, the train slows and pulls into the station.  We finally have a signpost-Le Havre.  But where is everybody?  The silence is deafening.

What's Going On...

...at Edward Copeland on Film, where I have been a contributor.

The Stranger Genius Awards

The Genius Award notifications are being rolled out, and the party will be September 16th at the Moore.  There are several cool things about the Awards, first being that the honorees are notified by QFC sheet cake.  They get $5,000 no strings attached, hopefully so that they can keep doing what they do.  The other thing I love is that there are no votes, there is no campaigning, it's just who the editors think SHOULD be given the notoriety.  This avoids the popularity-contest-lowest-common-denominatorness that plagues so many awards.
Here are the ones that have been announced so far:
DK Pan
Gary Hill
John Osebold